The present invention relates to semiconductor manufacturing facilities and, more particularly to a semiconductor manufacturing facility including semiconductor manufacturing equipment which generates heat in operation in manufacture of semiconductor devices and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus installed in the semiconductor manufacturing facility and a semiconductor manufacturing method.
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment is installed in a clean room in which clean air is circulated, and located in an environment in which a surface of a silicon wafer on which a semiconductor manufacturing circuit is formed is not contaminated. AN air filter is installed on the ceiling of the clean room so that the air filtered by the air filter flows around the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Supply of air to the air filter is performed by a blower mounted on an upstream side of the air filter. The air in the clean room is introduced into a return passage provided to a floor or a side wall, and a temperature and humidity is adjusted therein. Thereafter, the air returns to a plenum chamber above the ceiling board, and is supplied to the clean room after dust is removed therefrom by the air filter. First, dust having a large particle diameter is removed from the air supplied to the clean room. Thereafter, metal ions such as natrium, negative ions such as sulfate ions and ammonia ions are removed by being subjected to water cleaning or using a chemical filter. The humidity and temperature of the treated is adjusted, and fine dust is removed, and the air is supplied to the plenum chamber.
As mentioned above, a large amount of energy is consumed as a power for cleaning process of air and a power for controlling temperature and humidity so as to produce the air used for a clean room.
Many sets of semiconductor manufacturing equipment use heat for raising temperature of wafers in a manufacturing process. One of those sets of semiconductor manufacturing equipment is a vertical heat treatment apparatus, which is a batch type heat treatment apparatus. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus with an air cooling apparatus. The vertical heat treatment apparatus is installed in a clean room 1.
In FIG. 1, a heating furnace 12, which corresponds to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, is provided in an upper portion of a housing 11, which forms an outer covering part of the apparatus. The heating furnace 12 comprises: a cylindrical quartz pipe 13 which is a reaction tube having an open lower end; a heater 14 arranged to surround the quarts pipe 13; and a heat insulating layer 15 comprising an insulating material provided to surround the heater 14 and a water cooling pipe. The cooling water is supplied trough an inlet pipe 15a, and exits from an outlet pipe 15b. A lower part of the housing 11 constitutes a wafer loader chamber 10, and a support tool 17, on which a wafer is placed, is moved upward by an elevator 16 so that the support tool 17 can be carried in the quartz tube 13.
In the thus-structured vertical heat treatment apparatus, when an oxidation process is applied to the wafer, for example, since inside the heating furnace 12 reaches a temperature as high as 1000xc2x0 C., a heat inside the heating furnace 12 is emitted to outside the insulating layer 15 even if the heating furnace 12 is covered by the heat insulating layer 15. After the oxidation process is completed, the high-temperature wafer placed on the wafer boat in the heating furnace 12 is moved downward by the elevator, and is taken out of the heating furnace 12. At this time, the high-temperature According to this cause, the air surrounding the heating furnace 12 and the air in the wafer loader chamber 10, when the wafer is taken out, reach several ten degrees. Due to the heat, the air in the periphery of the heat treatment apparatus is warmed, and the temperature in the clean room 1 is raised. Conventionally, in order to prevent the temperature of the clean room 1 increased from being raised, the air in the clean room is exhausted as follows.
A horizontal separation board 21 is provided between the upper portion and the lower portion of the housing 11, and, in an area above the separation board 21, the air in the clean room 1 is taken in between the heating furnace 12 and the housing 11 through air intake ports 22 and 23, and the air is exhausted through an exhaust duct 24 provided in the upper portion of the housing 11. Additionally, in an area under the separation board 21, the air in the clean room 1 is taken in the wafer loader chamber 10, and the air is exhausted trough an exhaust duct 25. A fan 18 is provided in the wafer loader chamber 10. The fan 18 circulates the air in the wafer loader chamber 10, and the air in the clean room 1 is mixed to the circulated air. It should be noted that the exhaust duct 25 is provided along the ceiling of the clean room, and is connected to an exhaust line of the plant.
As mentioned above, the heat emitted from the heating furnace 12 is released outside the clean room 1 by passing through the exhaust ducts 24 and 25. However, a part of heat emitted from the heating furnace 12 is released outside the clean room by transmitting walls of the exhaust ducts 24 and 25. Accordingly, the part of heat emitted from the heating furnace 12 is released outside the clean room by a cooling facility provided in the circulation passage (return passage) in the clean room 1.
The present inventors took a measurement of an amount of energy consumed by a dry coil (cooling coil), which is the cooling facility for cooling the air in the clean room 1 (the clean room 1 is actually a large room although drawn as a small room in FIG. 2) while performing exhaust according to the above-mentioned conventional exhaust method, in a state in which the heating furnace 12 is being operated.
In FIGS. 2, 3 indicates a laboratory; 1 indicates the clean room provided in the laboratory 1; 32 indicates an air introducing pipe; 33 indicates a temperature and humidity adjusting part (external adjusting machine); 34 indicates an air circulation passage formed under the floor and an outer side of a side wall of the clean room; F indicates an air filter; 35 indicates a dry coil; 35a indicates a cooling part for cooling a coolant flowing in the dry coil 35; 36 indicates a separation enclosure (corresponding to the housing 11 of FIG. 1) accommodating a vertical heat treatment apparatus; 37 indicates an exhaust duct (corresponding to the exhaust duct 24 of FIG. 1); 38 indicates an exhaust fan; 39a indicates a cooling-water passage for cooing the heating furnace; and 39b indicates a facility for cooling the cooling water.
That is, after the outside air is taken in through the air introducing pipe 32 and the temperature and humidity of the air is adjusted by the temperature and humidity adjusting part (external adjusting machine) 33, the air is supplied to the clean room 1 via the filter F. The temperature of the air in the clean room 1 is maintained, for example, at 23xc2x0 C. by the dry coil 35 while being circulated through the circulation passage 34. In side the heating furnace of the vertical heat treatment apparatus is raised to, for example, a predetermined temperature of 1000xc2x0 C., and the heat released outside the heating furnace is released outside the laboratory through the exhaust duct 37 (the ducts 24 and 25 of FIG. 1 are collectively indicated by a single path). The heat released outside the heating furnace 1) escapes outside through the exhaust duct 37; 2) transmits inside the clean room 1 through the wall of the exhaust duct 37 or the separation enclosure 36 and is removed by the dry coil 35; or 3) is removed by the cooling water of the cooling-water passage 39a. In 1), 2) and 39, an energy consumption for removing the heat transmitted from the heating furnace is obtained, respectively, and a running cost (for example, a power supplied to a pump for delivering the coolant) is calculated which power corresponds to the amount of energy consumption. As a result, it was found that the cost for releasing the heat by 1) exceeds 50% of the total cost of 1), 2) and 3).
Conventionally, such measurement has not been performed. According to the above-mentioned experiments by the inventors, it was found that the heat from the heating furnace cannot be removed by the local exhaust of the air surrounding the furnace, and a large part of the heat from the heating furnace moves to the air in the clean room by heat conduction or heat radiation and thus a large amount of energy is needed to cool the circulated air in the clean room due to an operation of the heating furnace. Accordingly, the conventional cooling method by the exhaust of air in the clean room has problems in that, first, a loss is generated due to a large amount of air being exhausted which air insufficiently absorbing heat and, second, a loss is generated due to heat, which should be removed by the exhaust air, leaking to the clean room 1 and cooling must be performed to remove the heat.
Conventionally, the air in the clean room is frequently circulated so as to remove heat from the clean room to maintain the setting temperature (for example, 23xc2x0 C.). Thus, in order to reduce the running cost of the clean room 1, a suggestion has been made to reduce the number of circulations of the air in the clean room, however, such a suggestion cannot be realized as long as the heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment generating heat is not released to the air in the clean room 1. Additionally, although a suggestion has been made to use outside air for air cooling for the above-mentioned purpose, there is a problem in that dew formation occurs in the periphery of the apparatus. Accordingly, at the present time, outside air cannot be use for cooling the semiconductor manufacturing equipment generating heat.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of findings obtained by measurement of a heat balance of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which generates heat in an operating state in a clean room.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved and useful cooling apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with such a cooling apparatus.
A more specific object of the present invention is to positively remove air by an exhaust, which air is warmed heat conduction or heat radiation by semiconductor manufacturing equipment generating heat so as to reduce a thermal load to the clean room and reduce an amount of energy consumption.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is provided according to one aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing facility comprising:
a clean room;
a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in the clean room and generating heat during use;
a housing covering the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and configured to be capable of introducing air inside the clean room into an interior thereof; and
exhaust passage members for exhausting air in the housing to outside the clean room,
characterized in that:
release of heat from the housing to the air inside the clean room is prevented by providing a heat insulating material to the housing.
According to the above-mentioned invention, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be reduced by the heat insulating material provided to the housing. Additionally, if the heat insulating material is provided also to the exhaust passage members, the diffusion of heat to the clean room can be further reduced.
There is provided according another aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing facility comprising:
a clean room;
a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in the clean room and generating heat during use;
a housing configured to cover the semiconductor manufacturing equipment; and
exhaust passage members for exhausting air in the housing to outside the clean room,
characterized in that:
a separation and enclosure member is provided to isolate the housing from an atmosphere of the clean room by enclosing the housing, the separation and enclosure member configured to be capable of introducing the air in the clean room into an interior thereof; and
a heat insulating material is provided to the separation and enclosure member, thereby preventing heat from being released from the interior of the separation and enclosure member to the air inside the clean room.
According to the above-mentioned invention, since the housing, which covers the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, is isolated from the atmosphere of clean room by the separation and enclosure member provided with the heat insulating material, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be reduced. In this case, a space between the housing and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment may be rendered to be a hermetically sealed space, and an air introducing passage member may be connected to the housing so as to take air outside the clean room into the hermetically sealed space.
Additionally, there is provided according to another aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing facility comprising:
a clean room;
a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in the clean room and generating heat during use;
a housing configured to cover the semiconductor manufacturing equipment; and
exhaust passage members for exhausting air in the housing to outside the clean room,
characterized in that:
an air introducing passage member is provided so as to introduce air outside the clean room into the housing; and
a heat insulating material is provided to the housing, thereby preventing heat from being released from the interior of the housing to the air inside the clean room.
According to the above-mentioned invention, since a space between the housing and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is rendered to be a hermetically sealed space and the air introducing passage member is connected to the housing so as to take air outside the clean room into the hermetically sealed space, the cooling of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be performed without using the air in the clean room. Accordingly, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be reduced. In this case, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be further reduced by providing a heat insulating material to the exhaust passage member. Additionally, if a heat insulating material is provided to the air introducing passage member, dew formation on the air introducing passage member can be prevented.
Additionally, there is provided according to a further aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing facility comprising:
a clean room;
a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in the clean room and generating heat during use;
a housing configured to cover the semiconductor manufacturing equipment; and
exhaust passage members for exhausting air in said housing to outside the clean room,
characterized in that:
a separation and enclosure member is provided to isolate the housing from an atmosphere of the clean room by enclosing said housing;
an air introducing passage member is provided so as to introduce air outside the clean room into a space between the separation and enclosure member and the housing, the air introducing passage member being provided with a heat insulating material; and
a heat insulating material is provided to the separation and enclosure member, thereby preventing heat from being released from the interior of the separation and enclosure member to the air inside the clean room.
According to the above-mentioned invention, since a space between the housing and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is rendered to be a hermetically sealed space and the air introducing passage member is connected to the housing so as to take air outside the clean room into the hermetically sealed space, the cooling of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be performed without using the air in the clean room. Accordingly, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be reduced.
In the above-mentioned invention, the housing, the separation and enclosure member and/or the exhaust passage members may have a heat reflection film, which does not generate a gaseous contaminant. Accordingly, diffusion of heat from the housing, the separation and enclosure member and/or the exhaust passage member to the clean room can be reduced without contaminating the air inside the clean room.
Additionally, the clean room can be prevented from being contaminated by sealing the housing and the separation and enclosure member by a seal material, which does not generate a gaseous contaminant. Further, the clean room can be prevented from being contaminated by forming the heat insulating material by a material, which does not generate a gaseous contaminant. The heat insulating material may be formed of a plastic foam. Alternatively, the heat insulating material may be covered and sealed by a sheet material, which does not generate a gaseous contaminant. In this case, the sheet material may be formed by a metal plate and a metal panel may be formed by the metal plate and the heat insulating material.
Additionally, there is provided according to another aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus arranged in a clean room and generating heat when a predetermined process is applied to an object to be processed, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a processing part applying the predetermined process to the object to be processed;
a housing covering the processing part and configured to be capable of introducing air inside said clean room into an interior thereof; and
a first exhaust passage member for exhausting air in the housing to outside the clean room,
characterized in that:
release of heat from the housing to the clean room is prevented by providing a heat insulating material to the housing.
According to the above-mentioned invention, diffusion of heat from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the clean room can be reduced by the heat insulating material provided to the housing. Additionally, if the heat insulating material is provided also to the exhaust passage members, the diffusion of heat to the clean room can be further reduced.
Further, a carry-out chamber may be provided so as to accommodate the object to be processed carried out of the processing part, and a second exhaust passage member may be further provided so as to exhaust air in the carry-out chamber to outside the clean room. The carry-out chamber may be provided with a fan configured to introduce the air inside the clean room and a filter filtering the air passing through the fan. Additionally, the carry-out chamber may be defined by the housing, and the carry-out chamber may be isolated from a space in which the processing part is accommodated by a separation member.
Additionally, there is provided according to another aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus arranged in a clean room and generating heat when a predetermined process is applied to an object to be processed, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a processing part applying the predetermined process to the object to be processed;
a carry-out chamber which accommodates the object to be processed carried out off said processing part; and
a housing configured to cover the processing part and the carry-out chamber, characterized in that the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further comprising:
a first exhaust passage member for exhausting air into the vicinity of the processing part to outside the clean room;
a second exhaust passage member for exhausting air into the vicinity of the carry-out chamber to outside the clean room;
an air introducing passage member introducing the air inside the clean room into the vicinity of the processing part;
air introducing means for introducing the air inside the clean room into the vicinity of the carry-out chamber; and
heat insulating materials provided to the housing and the air introducing passage member.
According to the above-mentioned invention, the processing part is cooled by using the air outside the clean room, and the air used for cooling the processing part is exhausted to outside the clean room. Accordingly, diffusion of heat from the processing part to the clean room is prevented. Additionally, the air in the clean room is not contaminated by the air in the vicinity of the processing part. Further, since the heat insulating material is provided to the hosing, which covers the processing part, heat of the processing part is prevented from diffusing to the clean room. In this case, the diffusion of heat from the processing part to the clean room can be further reduced by providing heat insulating materials to the first exhaust passage member and the second exhaust passage member.
Additionally, there is provided a further aspect of the present invention a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device by using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a processing part applying the predetermined process to the object to be processed;
a carry-out chamber which accommodates the object to be processed carried out of the processing part;
a housing configured to cover the processing part and the carry-out chamber;
a first exhaust passage member for exhausting air in the vicinity of the processing part to outside the clean room;
a second exhaust passage member for exhausting air in the vicinity of the carry-out chamber to outside the clean room;
an air introducing passage member introducing the air inside the clean room into the vicinity of the processing part;
air introducing means for introducing the air inside the clean room into the vicinity of the carry-out chamber; and
a heat insulating materials provided to the housing and the air introducing passage member,
characterized by the steps of:
introducing air outside the clean room into a surrounding area of the processing part through the air introducing passage member and exhausting the air to outside the clean room through the first exhaust passage member; and
introducing air inside the clean room into the vicinity of the carry-out chamber through the air introducing means and exhausting the air to outside the clean room through the second exhaust passage member.
According to the above-mentioned invention, the processing part is cooled by using the air outside the clean room, and the air used for cooling the processing part is exhausted to outside the clean room. Accordingly, diffusion of heat from the processing part to the clean room is prevented. Additionally, the air in the clean room is not contaminated by the air in the vicinity of the processing part.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.